According to some estimates, the only way to meet the UN's global net zero goals by 2050 is by finding a way to remove 10 billion tons of CO2 from the atmosphere each year.
Most current CCS methods aim to capture CO2 at emission sites such as factories before it reaches the atmosphere, and then store it safely underground – often by pumping it into the seabed where it can remain for thousands of years.
But direct air capture (DAC) methods are costly and still only remove a fraction of what is needed around the world – meaning there is a great need for better and cheaper solutions.
And while the money being invested by the British governments into the CSS industry will mainly go toward large-scale (and long-term) projects, a multitude of smaller companies are already coming up with solutions that are making a difference today.
"Market demand is insisting that we do something quickly rather than developing a technology that takes 10 years to get into production," Stephen Milburn, founder and CEO of Nellie Technologies, tells Impact Loop.
Today, Impact Loop zooms in on the UK and has picked out ten of the most promising British carbon capture ventures. Here we go!
Nellie Technologies – using microalgae to capture carbon
Plenty of companies are doing direct air capture for CO2 removal. What sets Wales-based Nellie Technologies apart is that the company has developed modular units that combine DAC with some nifty bioengineering. Their method harnesses the photosynthesis of microalgae to capture CO2 and then grow biomass that can be turned into biochar, which stores the carbon for at least a thousand years. The company was one of the finalists in the Spectator’s Economic Innovator of the Year Awards and also nominated for the Earthshot Prize in 2024.
Seabound – capturing CO2 onboard ships
The maritime transport industry is a major source of carbon dioxide pollution. Seabound, founded by Alisha Fredriksson and Roujia Wen, is focusing on changing that with a carbon capture system for ships. The company’s system can be fitted directly onto a large cargo ship to collect the CO2 coming out of its exhausts and store it onboard until it can be offloaded in a port. After a successful sea trial, Seabound is hoping to deliver its first commercial systems in 2025 with the goal of having its system onboard 1,000 ships by 2030.
SeaGen – an ocean vacuum cleaner
Sargassum seaweed is a big absorber of CO2, and also a big nuisance for both marine wildlife and boat traffic – especially in the Atlantic Ocean where it blooms annually into a belt that can stretch 5,000 miles and weigh millions of metric tons.
Seaweed Generation (SeaGen) has developed an automated robot vessel that glides along the ocean surface hoovering up Sargassum seaweed and then sinks it to the bottom of the sea – thereby removing tons of CO2 from the carbon cycle and also cleaning the ocean.
The AlgaRay robot glider was named one of Time Magazine’s Best Innovations of 2023 and has been likened to a robot vacuum for the ocean. It also has a filtration system for clearing up other pollutants, like plastics and microalgae.
Concrete4Change – making concrete more sustainable
The production of concrete is responsible for 8 percent of all global CO2 emissions. Concrete4Change has developed a method that could lead to a more sustainable construction industry by capturing the carbon dioxide produced in the concrete-making process and then mineralising the CO2 before adding it into fresh concrete mixes. That way, the concrete itself becomes a carbon sink that can store CO2 safely.
Airhive – using fluidisation on solid materials
Airhive has launched modular units that capture CO2 from the air using a process called fluidisation, in which solid materials take on the properties of a fluid – like sand in a sandstorm. By driving air through carbon-absorbing material, it increases its surfaces areas and thereby speeds up the CO2 capturing process.
Airhive says its system can capture 99 percent of the CO2 in the air that passes through it in less than one tenths of a second. Airhive has launched initial projects in Spain, Canada and the UK.
C-Capture – a more energy-efficient solvent
Many direct air capture methods are dependent on a solvent that can absorb CO2 from emission sites and then be heated to release the carbon dioxide again. Leeds-based company C-Capture has developed a solvent made from simple organic acids and the company says its technology can lead to a 40-percent reduction in total energy use for capturing and storing carbon from industrial sites.
UNDO – speeding up nature’s weathering process
UNDO Carbon is one of several companies aiming to speed up the natural weathering process in which dissolving rocks remove carbon from the atmosphere.
The company spreads crushed volcanic rock such as basalt over agricultural land, which vastly increases the surface area of the rock and thereby increases its capacity to absorb CO2. The company says the process captures CO2 50,000 times faster than the natural weathering process.
Cyanocapture – harnessing the power of cyanobacteria
Cyanocapture wants to harness the power of cyanobacteria, microorganisms that produce oxygen and have played a key role in creating the Earth’s atmosphere. Cyanocapture believes the bacteria can also capture CO2 from industrial sites at a lower cost than the current price of carbon tax.
The company envisions "a future where every single emission site in the world will be able to afford mass-scale carbon capture – powered by bacteria."
Parallel Carbon – carbon capture and clean hydrogen
Parallel Carbon integrates water electrolysis and direct air capture processes to combine carbon capture with the production of clean hydrogen. The company’s goal is to capture carbon for under $100 per ton and simultaneously produce clean hydrogen for $1 per kilogram.
Project Harmless – turning animal manure into biochar
Animal manure is a big source of CO2 emissions. Edinburgh-based Project Harmless Biochar aims to solve that problem by turning animal waste into biochar in a way that prevents the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
While traditional biochar methods usually rely on wood materials, Project Harmless says its method of using animal manure helps transform "an abundant and hazardous waste into a valuable resource."
The people pictured in the image: Jim Mann, founder, UNDO; George Greer, co-founder, Project Harmless; Patricia Estridge, CEO, Seaweed Generation; Ryan Anderson, CEO, Parallel Carbon; Rory Brown, CEO, Airhive; Sid Pourfalah, founder and CEO, Concrete4Change; Alisha Fredriksson, co-founder and CEO, Seabound.
Which companies have we missed? Email us at editorial@loop.se!
